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Charles Carson
Mr. Charles “Charlie” Carson, is the butler of Downton Abbey, and began working at Downton Abbey when he was a boy. Background He is nostalgic for the past and has a close relationship with Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham as well as Elsie Hughes. He also loves Lady Mary Crawley almost as a surrogate daughter. As a young man, Carson was briefly on the stage, (or "on the halls" as his former colleague, Charles Grigg said), as a double act called, The Cheerful Charlies. Season One Mr. Carson brings up the newspaper and a telegram to Lord Grantham, both of which deal with the sinking of the Titanic, on which both James and Patrick Crawley were sailing. In series 1 Episode 2, Carson is acting strangely and has been taking food from the larder. It is revealed that Charles Grigg, his former stage partner, has come to the area and has been blackmailing Carson for food and money. He has been threatening to expose his past as a member of the duo The Cheerful Charlies and make Carson a laughing stock. He later shows up at Downton Abbey, and Carson tells Lord Grantham that he will resign, but Robert refuses to accept his resignation. Everyone who learns of it is surprised or even amused that Carson was once a theatrical performer, but Carson thinks it a affront to the dignity of his job. Robert gives Grigg £20 to go away, and threatens him with arrest if he returns. Carson discovers that someone has been stealing wine, and later one of Lord Grantham's snuffboxes goes missing. Carson rounds up all the servants and searches rooms, but finds nothing. The snuffbox reappears and Daisy says that she saw Mr. Bates take the wine. Daisy later admits that she was pressured to lie by Thomas, who was also seen by Molesley lifting Carson's wallet. Lord Grantham and Carson decide to fire Thomas, but he resigns to join the army medical corp., before they can carry this out. Season Two The First World War has come to Downton and the young men have all enlisted. Carson is appalled that maids must serve at dinner. Carson takes on many of the duties around Downton on himself and overdoes it. Downton is turned into a convalescence hospital for the duration of the war, to allow the hospital in the village to deal with critical patients. Thomas begins managing this aspect of Downton, much to Carson's consternation as it makes him Carson's superior. Carson gets an offer from Sir Richard Carlisle to be butler for him and Lady Mary after their marriage, and Carson is torn, as he is fond of Mary, but still loyal to her father and Downton. He decides to reject the offer, after he learns that Carlisle tried to pay Anna to start spying on Mary. He cannot work for a man that he doesn't respect. Like several others at Downton, Carson contracts the Spanish Flu, and his illness allows Thomas to gain employment back at Downton as a footman. Season Three When Mary descends the staircase in her wedding gown, she first asks Carson affectionately if he thinks she will do. He replies "Very nicely milady." He does not at first believe that Alfred, Miss O'Brien's nephew, should have been hired as he is too tall and too inexperienced. Carson is indignant about every mistake he makes. Over time, however, as he sees how diligent Alfred is, he takes Alfred under his wing and starts to teach him. He insists that everything must be done properly for Edith's wedding even though the house is understaffed. When he discovers that Mrs. Hughes may be seriously ill, Carson shows a great deal of concern, and he is overjoyed to the point of singing to himself when he learns that she'll be alright. When Thomas's unwanted homosexual advance on James is reported to him, Carson responds with revulsion and says that Thomas is "foul". Carson will allow him to resign with a reference, but only as he wants him to go quietly. When threatened by James that Thomas must have no reference, or he will go to the police, Carson reluctantly gives in to this. Only the intervention of Lord Grantham and Bates saves Thomas' job. When asked who will tell James that Thomas is staying, Carson says that Lord Grantham wants him to stay so he should tell James. Personality Carson is a man who takes his job seriously. He is very strict about the standards at Downton, and gets really upset whenever they are disrupted or breached by his coworkers. However, he does have a deep respect and admiration for the Crawley family and others of the "upstairs" world. Mrs. Hughes accuses him of worshiping them. Episode 3.03 Despite his stern exterior, he shows almost fatherly concern for his coworkers. Thomas is surprised to see him teaching Alfred about spoons, as he had never done anything like this for Thomas. Carson replied that Thomas had never asked. Though he is determined that they ensure that the house is run efficiently, and they never seek to cause trouble. He is initially against the employment Mr. Bates because he believes that his lameness will cause dissension as others will have to do his work for him, but later admitted he could not imagine Downton without him. Like Lord Grantham, he has difficulty accepting change and takes great pride in Downton Abbey and what it symbolizes. Despite his personal beliefs, he will put the honor of the house before them, such as loathing Thomas Barrow's homosexuality, but wishing to see him go quietly without bringing scandal to the house. Actor Jim Carter has stated that Carson sees upstairs and downstairs as two completely separate worlds, which is why he is upset when Lady Sybil marries Tom Branson, the former chauffeur. He can however be a surprisingly kind man, such as when he called Tom's respect for Cora's invitation for Kieran Branson "exemplary" and when he shows a preference for Alfred over Jimmy even though Jimmy has had more experience as a footman than Alfred despite being angry at Alfred for his past errors. To those he is close too, he is always extremely concerned when they might be in serious trouble, such as when Mrs. Hughes might have had cancer. He also has a very loving side, such as when he comforts Lady Sybil's daughter. Politically, Carson is a monarchist, loyal to and proud of the English monarchy. Relationships Mrs. Hughes Mr. Carson often at the end of each day shares moments with the housekeeper, Mrs. Hughes. They meet in her sitting room or his pantry and talk about how the day went. They are very different, she is much more practical about the job and accuses him of worshipping the Crawleys. He cares about her, this is seen when he learns that she does not have cancer and is moved to hum a cheerful song. Lady Mary Crawley Mr. Carson loves Lady Mary like a daughter and has comforted her on many occasions. When she was remembering the night she spent with Kemal Pamuk and how she regretted it, he told her that she was still very young to which she replied, "Am I? I don't feel it." When at the garden party in 1914, she accepted Matthew Crawley's proposal to her but he turned down her response as he felt it had taken too long and she wasn't sure enough, he comforted her and she said tearfully, "Don't worry, Carson. I'm never down for long." When she became engaged to Sir Richard Carlisle, Mr. Carson knew that Mary was not happy like she should be. When he had a heart problem and she came to see him, he told her to tell Matthew that she loved him. "Then even if he is killed," Mr. Carson reasoned, "You won't be sorry. If you don't tell him, you could regret the rest of your life." Mary wanted to follow Mr. Carson's advice, but after having a conversation with Lavinia Swire, Matthew's then fiancee, she discovered how much Lavinia loved Matthew and decided against taking Carson's advice. Sir Richard Carlisle asked Mr. Carson to be the butler at Haxby, which was going to be his and Mary's house when they were married. Mr. Carson accepted, feeling he could help Mary "in those early years when it's important to get it right" to use his words. Mrs. Hughes asked him if he would like it over at Haxby, and would he regret leaving Downton, to which Carson replied, "I will regret it every moment of every day," he said, but his sense of loyalty to Mary propelled him to Haxby. However, when Anna told him that Sir Richard had tried to bribe her into spying on Lady Mary, he took back his word, feeling he could not "work for a man he didn't respect." Lady Mary was completely disappointed in him and hurt him with her harsh words. "And I always thought you were fond of me!" Carson's look of heartbreak at this moment clearly said it all: He felt she should not be marrying Sir Richard and only wanted her to be happy. When Carson contracted Spanish flu in 1919 and Lady Mary broke off her engagement in January 1920, they forgave each other. Lady Mary was married in spring 1920 and as she walked down the stairs in her wedding dress, both Robert and Carson looked up to her, eyes full of pride. "Will I do, Carson?" she asked him, smiling. "Very nicely, my lady," he answered, eyes glistening. When she was about to have her baby in September 1921, Carson was in a feverish mood ("Who wouldn't be, after Lady Sybil?" he says to Mrs. Hughes, referring to Sybil's disastrous birth of her daughter and how he does not want the same thing to happen to Mary). Upon learning she had given birth successfully he was so happy he forgot to ask what sex the baby was. Miss Sybil "Sybbie" Branson When Lady Sybil Branson, Sybbie's mother, died in July 1920, Carson broke down and expressed grief. In September 1921, when Sybbie's nanny was not there, Sybbie started to cry. Carson picked her up and soothed her in the library. He told Mrs. Hughes when she came in that he was remembering Lady Sybil when she was Sybbie's age (a little over a year old at the time). Quotes *"You're too tall to be a footman. No footman should be over 6 foot 1." - to Alfred Nugent in Episode 3.01. *"Where's the style Mrs. Hughes? Where's the show?" - Episode 3.02. *"I thought Mr. Branson's respect for her ladyship's invitation exemplary." - to Mrs. Hughes, showing a respect for Tom Branson he seldom shows. *"I've never been called a liberal in my life and I don't intend to start now!" - to Jimmy Kent. Appearances Behind the scenes Notes * In "The Chronicles of Downton Abbey : A New Era" by Jessica Fellowes and Matthew Sturgis, Julian Fellowes relates that the character of Carson was based on Arthur Inch, a retired butler, now deceased, who served as the principal advisor on the movie "Gosford Park". References External links Category:Characters Category:Servants